"Embarrassing & disrespectful" - Ben Shelton slams Australian Open interviewers for 'negative' treatment of Novak Djokovic, himself & other players

Ben Shelton advanced to the Australian Open semifinal after beating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) on Wednesday, January 22. This is the second time the American will feature in a Grand Slam semifinal after making the 2023 US Open semifinal, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.

This time around he'll face Jannik Sinner, who is going to be an overwhelming favorite. Speaking to the media after his match against Sonego, Ben Shelton issued an unprompted criticism on the state of tennis broadcast.

He took issue with how he and some of his colleagues were treated by media members during post-match interviews, believing that it wasn't good enough. Highlighting the controversial comments Toney Jones had made about Novak Djokovic earlier, Shelton said:

"One thing that I just want to say before we're done. I've been a little shocked this week with how players have been treated by broadcasters. I don't think that the guy who mocked Novak, I don't think that was a single event. I noticed it with different people. Not just myself," Shelton said.

The Novak Djokovic incident is well-documented, with the reporter in question already apologizing. Mentioning other incidents, such as one involving Grand Slam debutant Learner Tien, Ben Shelton added:

"Learner Tien in one of his matches. When he beat Medvedev, his post-match interview. I think it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful. There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys."

It was an interesting intervention by Shelton as he hadn't spoken out like this in the past, though he never strayed away from answering tough questions.

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"I don't think that's respectful" - Ben Shelton shares his experiences of on-court interviews at the Major

Some of the incidents Ben Shelton found disrespectful happened to him as well. Recalling some examples of what was said to him by media members which he found to be quite disrespectful, the American said:

"There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys. 'Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad, maybe he is your dad.' and 'Hey, Ben, how does it feel no matter who you play, nobody will cheer for you?'"

Urging for a change in the 'negative' aspect of interviews, Shelton added:

"I don't think that's respectful. I think broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport. There has just been a lot of negativity and I just think that's something that needs to change."

Meanwhile, on the sport side of things, the American is set to take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner for a spot in the Australian Open finals. The two will face off on Friday, January 24 and Shelton will be looking to get one over his Italian opponent, who holds a 4-1 lead in their head-to-head record.

2025 ASB Classic - Day 10 - Source: Getty